Production Manager Jobs in Union, SC (NOW HIRING)

Position Overview

The Production Manager is responsible for leading daily manufacturing operations while driving accountability, throughput, quality, and continuous improvement across the production floor.
This role is highly hands-on and leadership driven. The Production Manager is expected to maintain a strong presence on the production floor, build credibility and trust with front-line employees, and create a culture centered around accountability, urgency, teamwork, and pride in workmanship.
The ideal candidate is a self-starter with a strong work ethic, practical problem-solving ability, and a continuous improvement mindset. This individual must be capable of maintaining operational stability while identifying opportunities to improve workflow, communication, quality, labor efficiency, and overall manufacturing performance.
This position will initially focus heavily on supporting and leading tent production operations while developing broader operational leadership capability and responsibility over time.

Core Leadership Expectations

• Lead through visibility, communication, and floor presence.
• Build trust, accountability, and consistency with hourly production employees.
• Maintain high standards for quality, execution, urgency, and teamwork.
• Proactively identify operational inefficiencies and drive practical improvements.
• Create a culture that values ownership, accountability, discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Remain calm, pragmatic, and solution-oriented in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Lead by example through professionalism, responsiveness, and work ethic.

Key Responsibilities

Production Leadership
• Direct and oversee day-to-day production activities across assigned manufacturing areas.
• Coordinate labor and workflow to support production schedules, throughput, and delivery requirements.
• Maintain active visibility on the production floor to monitor workflow, quality, efficiency, and employee performance.
• Support production teams by removing operational obstacles and escalating issues when necessary.
• Adjust labor assignments and workflow as operational needs change.
Quality & Operational Standards
• Promote and enforce high standards for workmanship, quality, safety, and accountability.
• Identify recurring quality concerns and work collaboratively to implement corrective actions.
• Monitor production flow and proactively address bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and preventable rework.
• Ensure production processes are being executed consistently and correctly.

• Ensure accuracy of work order allocations as they move thru the operation.
Continuous Improvement
• Continuously evaluate workflow, labor utilization, equipment usage, communication flow, and production processes for improvement opportunities.
• Recommend and support practical improvements that increase throughput, efficiency, quality, and operational consistency.
• Gather input from employees, supervisors, and leadership to help develop well-informed process improvements.
• Support operational scalability through better systems, organization, and production practices.
Team Leadership & Development
• Lead, coach, and develop front-line production employees and supervisors.
• Promote accountability while maintaining a respectful and team-oriented work environment.
• Address performance concerns, attendance issues, and behavioral expectations in a timely and professional manner.
• Help develop stronger communication, teamwork, and consistency across production teams.
• Support training and cross-training efforts to improve operational flexibility and workforce development.
Cross-Functional Coordination
• Work closely with Production Operations, Design, Customer Operations, Purchasing, and other departments to support operational execution.
• Communicate production concerns, scheduling risks, material constraints, and workflow challenges appropriately.
• Provide operational feedback and practical recommendations that support better coordination and execution across departments.

• Step in wherever needed to help keep production running smoothly and efficiently, including helping solve problems, improve workflow, support communication, and fill gaps across departments. i.e.) Entering or processing word orders, assist with inventory control issues

Qualifications

• Prior manufacturing leadership or production supervision experience strongly preferred.
• Experience leading hourly production employees in a fast-paced manufacturing environment preferred.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• Strong observational, problem-solving, and decision-making ability.
• Ability to manage changing priorities while maintaining operational stability.
• Hands-on leadership style with strong floor presence.
• Practical mindset with the ability to balance urgency, quality, and efficiency.
• Experience in custom manufacturing or production environments preferred.
• Cut-and-sew or textile manufacturing experience is a plus but not required.

Success Characteristics

• Strong work ethic and ownership mentality
• Self-motivation and initiative
• Calm and disciplined leadership style
• Pragmatic decision-making ability
• Respectful but accountable people management
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Strong communication with hourly employees
• High standards for execution and follow-through
• Desire to improve processes rather than maintain status quo

Growth Opportunity

This role is expected to grow in operational responsibility and leadership scope over time. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to develop broader manufacturing leadership capability through operational ownership, continuous improvement, people development, and execution consistency.